Snawpaws - the colours, a cast on and a few alterations

We're having a knit along for Kate Davies' Snawpaws.

natural white and sheala

(Fiona)  After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing I decided on a classic dark grey and white colour combo.  I was slightly distracted when I started this project so I made a few mistakes - pattern alterations.

I am a loose knitter and usually go down 0.5mm in needle size.  Given that its stranded colourwork I guessed 0.25mm would be sufficient (allowing for the floats at the back of the work to tighten it up too).

So I need 2.25mm and 2.5mm double pointed needles in a decent length (20cm).  I only had 2.25mm at home and I was desperate to start so I cast on with the 2.25mm and vowed to knit even looser for the hand part (which was suppose to be on the larger needle).

I cast on with my contrast colour and knitted merrily away for a couple of rows and then realised I should have switched to the main colour straight after the cast on!  First mistake.  Once corrected it was plain sailing (after a few false starts I got into the swing of the beaded rib.  I ended up doing a couple of extra rows... which I would like to say was intentional...

I then realised I had cast on too many stitches!  Instead of ripping it all out I skipped the increase row and hoped that my rib was sufficiently tight to compensate for an extra 10 stitches...

I then hoped that my knitting and floats would be sufficiently loose so as not to cut of circulation in my hands...  I consoled myself that I am a very loose knitter, I have small hands and that it could be a shop sample if it all went (a tight) pear shape...